Loading sling



May 4, 1948.

w. A. BICKELL LOADING SL-ING Filed Aug. 13, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 11 INVEN TOR. WILLIAM A-. B/CKELL A TTORNEY border rope 2.

Patented May 4, 1948 ares mr anrr orator;

2\,440,'Z12 inoanmesnme williani AiBitkelliVancouver,itritish 'molimibia, Canada .Application-August 13, 1946', "ScrialNo. 690250 (My invention relates. to'irnprovements in' loading slings, which are ,particularly .adapte'd'Tor transporting rock and'lheavy"bulkfimateiial.

i-Theobject of 'theinventionis 'to provide a means and method of .cOnVeying' Ibiilk material such.as.rock from,ailoading,.place to.a place wheresaidmock is to ".be -idnm'pd, such'l'ior.in-

. stance wouldyinclude.thexloadingbf the rock: from a wharf onto a scow by means -of a'derrick, or

other hoistingv dev-ice, iorltransportation to'des- ..tination, -and .for .the .removal .or ttl-ie rock by.a derrick .tonshoreor fill. fromrsa'id scow.

In .this .workas now .usually dene, the. rock is piled upon ascow ..for transportation =.to..destination and. is. removed by..aiderriekequippedavith a. clam. shlLor orange} peel .blicket, removal of the..rock being slowtandrcostlyi onaccountof of the invention extendedxeadylior loading.

Fig.'2'is a perspective view oftlhe sling in the form it would assume when loaded.

Fig. 3 is a view showing the sling after unloading.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a timber reinforced modification.

Fig. 5 is a closed end elevational view of the modification as when loaded.

Fig. 6 is a view of the modification after unloading.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each figure.

The rock or other load is omitted from the drawings to more clearly show the disposition of the structural elements of the invention.

The numeral I, see Figures 1, 2 and 3, indicates a net made of wire, wire cable or chain of any suitable strength and is provided with outer or border ropes 2 which are secured at each corner oi the net with a ring 3. the net material at its centre and is fitted with a centre line 6 having a. ring 1 at its outer end. The length of the centre line is sufiicient to extend around one side of the load and beyond the The disk is connected by lines 9 A disk 5 is secured to 2 toeachof the rings 3;'which'prevents undue elongation .of the fabricdiagonallyof the net.

.Attached "toor adjacent one "of 'the 'border "ropesiz is:a':ring I I "having connected therewith 'a chokerchain "I2, which isadapted co-encircle the loaded sling, *as shownin' Figure 2,-with"the freefend oFsai-d chainbeing' passed 'through the "ring'i I 'andheld in tightened position around 'the SIingby-inserting :a pin 15 through aconvenient "link'of'the 'chain'to prevent its withdrawal.

'In the'modification shown inFiguPeS-" l'; 5 "6, th'emumer'al fii indicates a "sling which-is f'ormed'with'a wire or chain fabric ""22 having transverse-strands 23 which are boundet each end to iongitudinal-spreaders "2'4. Thesespre'am ers 'are preferably made'of pipe. Connected to each endofthe fabric zz is a triangular end iiap 26 consisting of similar=mesh material Aborderline '23 "extendsthrough-or along the spread- "ers "Z4 "and to the "outer extremities of the "enki -"iiaps '26 -'arrdis provided with liftingrings 28 at "eachsangle *of the line. The fabric 22 is" provided with a plurality "of spaced longitudinal *slats'or planks "29 'which "are "secured to the fabric by U-bolts or othersuitable"fastenings, *notshown. The two""cent1e'1p'1anks29'are transversely con- :nected together as'at *3 I 'toform a rigid platform "33*anda .fa'bric suspension wire 3 4 iiaving =arin g "atfits 'toute'r'end; is secured to-the I centre of said platform tomaintain it in a substantially horizcntai position'when the "slin'g is suspended "solely from "saidiwire 34 and-no load is"beirrg' *cazrried b y the sling.

Connected to or near the border line 23 of one of the rings 28 is a choker chain 36 which is adapted to be fastened around the sling 2| in the manner described for the choker I2, when the sling is carrying a load as in Figure 5.

In use, the sling I is laid down upon a surface adjacent a loading derrick having a hoisting cable generally indicated by the numeral 3B and hereinafter referred to as the load line. The sling is spread out and its centre Wire 6 is extended out beyond the border line 2 as shown in Figure 1. The sling is loaded with rock or other material and the rings 3 of the sling are secured to hooks 40 connected to branches 4| of the load line 39, when the line 39 is raised to cause the sling I to fold around the load, the choker line I2 is tightened around the sling as shown in Figure 2. The loaded sling is then raised by the load line 39 and placed in position upon a scow and the hoisting hooks 4O detached therefrom. As many loaded slings as may be convenientare loaded in side by side and in superimposed relation, each sling and its load forming a, complete compact package, capable of safely riding on the scow through relatively rough seas.

When the scow reaches its destination, another derrick having a load line 39 and a sling line 43, raises the slings and unloads them in the following manner. The hooks 40 of the load line 39 are attached to the rings 3 of a sling and the sling line 43 is secured to the ring 1 of the centre line 6, when the load line 39 has taken its load, the choker I2 is slackened off by removing the pin l from its link. The sling and its load are raised with both lines 39 and 43 being h'auled in simultaneously, the sling is then swung out to dumping position and with the sling line held, stationary, the load line 39 is lowered, so that the sling turns inside out, spilling its load between the branches 4 I.

It will be realized that the sling I will then be draped over the disk 5 as shown in Figure 3, with the branches in contact with its periphery, so that by lowering the load line 39, when returning the empty sling to the deck of the scow, the disk 5 will drop between the rings 3 and the sling can be laid down with but little efiort in spread out position on the scowand other slings laid upon it for return to the loading wharf.

With the modified sling 2! as shown in Figures 4, 5 and 6, the procedure is the same as previously described and differs only that the loaded sling when lifted, assumes a substantially box or skip like shape instead of a globular form. Its advantages over the sling l is that the planks 29 protect the fabric 22 to some extent from damage from rocks being dropped onto the sling during loading and the planks are more easily replaced than the elements of the fabric.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A sling for handling bulk material comprising a net having suspension means spaced about its border and adapted to be supported by said means from a load line, a line connected to an inner part of said net for supporting the net when the suspension means are lowered to discharge the'material from the sling.

2. A sling for handling bulk material comprising a net having suspension means spaced about its borders and adapted to be supported by said means from a load line, a plate member secured to an inner part of said net and a line extending from said plate member for supporting the net when the suspension means are lowered to discharge the load from the sling.

3. A sling for handling bulk material comprising a net having suspension means spaced about its border, and adapted to be supported by said means from a load line, a line connected to an inner part of said net for supporting the net when the suspensionmeans are lowered to discharge the material from the sling, and a clicker attached to the sling for encircling the sling ad- J'acent the borders when said sling is loaded.

4. A sling for handling bulk material comprising a substantially rectangular fabric having suspension means spaced about its borders, said fabric having longitudinally disposed rigid members spaced apart and secured to the fabric and a line extending from an inner part of the fabric for supporting the sling when the sling is being unloaded. 1

5. A sling for handling bulk material comprisinga substantially rectangular fabric having suspension means spaced about its borders, said fabric having longitudinally disposed rigid members spaced apart and secured to the fabric and a line extending from an inner part of the fabric for supporting the sling when the sling is being unloaded, at least two of said rigid members being cross connected together to form a rigid platform, said line being so connected to the fabric or the platform as to support said platform in a substantially horizontal position when said sling is suspended from the said line. V

6. A sling for handling bulk material comprising a net of polygonal form having a suspension device at each angle of its sides for attaching the sling to a load line, a plate member mounted substantially in the centre of the net, a tensional member extending from each suspension device to the plate and a centre line extending from the plate member beyond the side edges of.th'e net.

W. A. BICKELL.

REFERENCES crrnn The following references are of recordin the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS; 1 I 2 Coleman Sept. 7 1937 

